The invention relates to firearms and more specifically to a recoil system for the receiver of a firearm.
One of the age old problems that has existed with firearms is the fact that many of them have a severe recoil that affects the person firing the weapon. In firearms such as shotguns and rifles, the rear end of the butt stock is positioned against the shooter""s shoulder and the recoil often causes the shooter to raise the front of the firearm each time the weapon is fired. Also the amount of recoil varies depending upon the amount of explosive being fired and the recoil can result in pain and/or bruising to the shoulder area of the person firing the weapon. One example of the recoil being detrimental to a shooter""s accuracy is when the firearm is a shotgun being used for skeet shooting by a man or a woman.
In the past, the best prior art recoil systems for the butt stock of a firearm have been very expensive and the inexpensive systems did not function properly. Two examples of expensive systems are a hydro-coil fluid dampening system and a pneumatic air chamber system. The present day inexpensive recoil systems utilize compression coil springs to absorb the recoil forces. If the compression coil spring is a little too strong, you get more recoil than with a regular firearm. If the compression coil spring is not strong enough it is worse, in that it gives the gun some travel and it is the same as holding the butt stock to loosely.
One of the improvements in recoil systems for a firearm is illustrated in the Bentley et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,195. It has a pistol grip recoil assembly having a recoil base member and a pistol grip. The recoil base member is detachably secured to the rear end of the receiver of the firearm and it has an inverted T-shaped rail formed on its bottom wall. This inverted T-shaped rail is captured within and slides in an inverted T-shaped groove in the top end of the pistol grip. A recess formed in the front wall of the pistol grip adjacent its top end allows the trigger guard of the firearm to travel rearwardly with respect to the pistol grip when the firearm is fired. Various embodiments utilize springs to return the recoil base member forwardly to its static position after dissipating the recoil of the firearm resulting from its being fired.
Another recent improved recoil system for a firearm is illustrated in the Bentley et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,752 339. This patent discloses a recoil system for the butt stock of a firearm having a recoil suppressor assembly whose front end is mounted in the cavity in the rear end of the gun stock. The piston ram of the recoil suppressor assembly in its static position extends rearwardly into a bore hole cavity of an elongated recoil housing. When the firearm is shot, the elongated body portion of the recoil suppressor assembly and its transversely extending mounting flange portion instantaneously travel rearwardly into the bore cavity with the bore hole of the body housing reciprocally traveling over the piston ram. A coil spring whose front end is secured to the front end of the body portion and whose rear end is secured to a cam assembly returns the elongated body portion to a static position once the recoil of the firearm has been suppressed.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel recoil system for a firearm that minimizes the amount of recoil force experienced by the person firing the weapon.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel recoil system for the butt stock of a firearm that minimizes pain to the shoulder to the person firing the weapon due to recoil forces.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel recoil system for a firearm that requires limited modification to the butt stock.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel recoil system for a firearm that utilizes an extension coil spring.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel recoil system for the butt stock of a firearm that is easily mounted to the rear end of a conventional butt stock.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel recoil system for shotguns and rifles that is economical to manufacture and market.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel double recoil system for the receiver of a firearm.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel butt stock for a firearm with an adjustable length of pull to accommodate shooters of different stature.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel butt stock for a firearm that can be rotated from its normal novel butt stock for a firearm that can be rotated from its normal vertical position to a horizontal position to facilitate use of the firearm in close quarters where the butt of the firearm would not be positioned against the shooter""s shoulder.
The novel recoil system has been designed to be incorporated into a butt stock assembly of a firearm such as a rifle. The main component of the recoil system is an extension spring recoil assembly having an outer tubular member and an inner tubular member. The front end of the outer tubular member is rigidly secured within the front end portion of the butt stock assembly that is secured to the rear end of the receiver of the firearm. The inner tubular member is telescopically received within the rear end of the outer tubular member. An extension spring is axially aligned within the interior of the inner tubular member and has its front hook portion secured by a transversely extending pin that has its opposite ends rigidly connected to the inner surface of the inner tubular member. The rear end of the extension spring has its hook portion secured to a transversely extending pin whose opposite ends pass through aligned longitudinally extending slots on the opposite side walls of the inner tubular member. The ends of the rear pin are rigidly secured to the inner wall surface of the outer tubular member.
In the different butt stock embodiments using the extension spring recoil assembly, the rearward travel of the inner tubular member in the gun stock is restricted. The recoil produced by firing the gun sends the structure attached to the rear end of the receiver rearwardly. Since the front end of the outer tubular member is rigidly attached to that structure, they both travel rearwardly causing the extension spring to be stretched rearwardly and dissipate the recoil of the gun. After the recoil force has been dissipated, the extension spring returns to its original static position while pulling the outer tubular member forwardly to its static position.
The novel extension spring recoil assembly has also been adapted to be used in conjunction with the pistol grip recoil system of the Bentley et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,195 (the structure of this patent is incorporated by reference). This is accomplished by forming a connector housing on the upper rear end of the pistol grip for receiving the front end of the novel extension spring recoil assembly. An adjustable length butt stock assembly has a bore hole formed in its front end for receiving the rear end of the extension spring recoil assembly. The pistol grip recoil assembly dissipates the major portion of the recoil from the firearm and the remaining recoil is dissipated by the extension spring recoil assembly secured to its connector housing. The novel structure for connecting the front end of the extension spring recoil system to the connector housing allows the butt stock assembly to be rotated to a horizontal position to facilitate use of the firearm in close quarters where it is not positioned against the shooter""s shoulder. The connection structure in the connector housing could be utilized to connect the extension spring recoil assembly directly to the rear end of the receiver or to an adaptor connected to the rear end of the receiver.